Koch Enterprises Inc.

Beginning as a small tin shop, Koch Enterprises Inc. is now one of the largest Indiana private companies. More than 130 years ago, George Koch opened George’s Tin Shop. Through four generations of the Koch family, the business has expanded to a globally recognized company, operating more than a million combined square feet of manufacturing space.

Koch Enterprises Inc. headquarters are located in Evansville, Indiana, but the company has significant operations in several other countries. The business serves multiple industries, including automotive parts manufacturing, wholesale distribution, metals recycling, equipment design and construction. The Koch family’s business strategy has been to infiltrate multiple industries within the markets in order to maximize potential. This business diversity allows profitability for the company even in times of downturn within the different industries.

Manufactuing companies that fall under the Koch Enterprises Inc. umbrella include Gibbs Die Casting Corporation, which manufactures aluminum and magnesium parts that make cars more fuel efficient, and Uniseal Incorporated, which produces structural adhesives, sealants and cellular rubber parts that make cars quieter. Wholesale distribution companies that are affiliated with Koch Enterprises Inc. are Break Supply Company Incorporated and Koch Air LLC. Koch has one equipment supply and construction company, called George Koch Sons LLC, that designs environmentally friendly paint finishing systems. There is also one information technology company in the Koch Enterprises Inc. group, called South Western Communications Incorporated. Audubon Metals LLC is the metals recycling company that is affiliated with the Koch network.

Business advancement and growth has been nonstop within this Hoosier company. In the 1930s Koch Enterprises Inc. expanded to a completely unrelated field, the air conditioning industry. This was the first time the Koch family realized that business diversity was key to staying afloat. The business saw through the Great Depression, and then World War II. To contribute to the war effort, Koch Enterprises Inc. stopped manufacturing for customers and began making military equipment for the United States military. After the war, the Koch family business ventured into new territory by acquiring multiple companies, which diversified their business even more. Today, Koch Enterprises Inc. has a constant growth rate of 7 percent per year. Projected company sales will reach $1 billion by 2010, and this money will increasingly come from international markets.

Koch Enterprises Inc. takes special interest in the Green Movement, developing and manufacturing products that are environmentally friendly. Koch’s mission statement includes a clause about environmental policy that encourages all affiliates to go above and beyond legally mandated environmental standards. In 2008, the company was given an award by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Koch Enterprises Inc. has received several awards and recognitions for their companies, and most recently it was ranked as one of the Forbes Top 500 Private Companies.